7 Silly Fights Couples Have Over Home Essentials

From smiling at one another to struggling with each other, the joy of shopping can turn sour in a second when couples clash over everything from choosing coffee makers to picking pans.

1. The Fight: Price vs. Features
The philosophical schism that cuts across buying nearly every major appliance. “We need this model — it’s far better,” he says. “But it’s $100 more expensive,” you say. “True, but it has the Precision Sensor,” he adds, as if he really knows what that means.

2. The Fight: Single-Cup Brew vs. Traditional Coffee Maker
Both of you love coffee. But one of you insists on a single-cup brewer (“It’s just better, okay?”), and the other prefers the simplicity, comfort and nostalgia of a full pot. It’s one or the other. This decision will impact the quality of every lazy Sunday morning for the next 20 years.

3. The Fight: Stainless Steel vs. Nonstick Pans
One is better for impressing guests with your cooking skills, not to mention it’s shiny like a new car. The other is cheaper and easier to clean. Guess which one your guy prefers? You see the benefits of each, including that you can just leave clean-up duty to him. Or buy one of each pan to compromise (hey, it’s better for you both to get used to that now rather than later).

4. The Fight: Research vs. Fact-Finding Mission
How hard can it be? You browse dryers and the vacuum cleaners at the store, talk to employees, and ask friends for recommendations, then pick the one that seems sensible. But not him. For weeks he trolls through Amazon customer reviews, browses pages and pages of SubReddits, and even crowdsources on Facebook to find the optimal purchase. #HideFromFeed

5. The Fight: TV Trays vs. Respectability
“They fold right up next to the couch — they’re perfect!” he says. “Yes, perfect for your newly single life,” you say.

6. The Fridge Fight: Side-by-Side vs. Top-and-Bottom
Inevitably, it seems that each of you will have a different opinion, and suddenly it strikes you as very, very important that you win this battle. The fact is that no matter what you choose, this new fridge will probably be nicer than the one you grew up with. Irrelevant.

7. The Fight: Juicer vs. Solid Food
A juicer implies that you will do things together like skip meals, liquify kale and go on a “cleanse.” Could be good, clean fun? Or just an extra thing to clean?

Jeff Wilser is the author of The Maxims of Manhood and founding editor of the groom website ThePlunge.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jeffwilser.

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Hometown: Houston, TX. Choice color palette: I only recognize primary colors, what’s a “color palette”? Can’t leave home without: My bike. I try and commute by bike whenever possible. Also, shoes. They help me focus. Dream décor piece: A garage. In New York the idea of a “garage” is mythical. Maybe one day I’ll have one. Follow Me: @jeffwilser. read more